


Epilogue to the Epilogue

by gingayellow



Category: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-19
Updated: 2015-10-19
Packaged: 2018-04-27 02:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5029420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/pseuds/gingayellow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of "Ten Years After," Ban and Hoji resolve some remaining issues. [Ban/Hoji, warnings for depression/grief]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Epilogue to the Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> Shockingly, the Dekaranger epilogue DVD has brought back my love for Ban/Hoji. ;;

Title: Epilogue to the Epilogue  
Fandom: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger  
Characters/Pairing: Ban/Hoji  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Not mine, anything mentioned here by name isn't mine  
Warnings: BIG SPOILERS FOR 10 YEARS AFTER. Also touches on grief/depression.  
Notes: Shockingly, the Dekaranger epilogue DVD has brought back my love for Ban/Hoji. ;;

“Don’t you at least want to stay for snacks, Ban?”

Hoji opened his eyes for a moment, and Umeko was hovering over Ban—who, like Hoji, was still lying on the ground. “A really good bakery opened up last year—it’s where I get all my pastries now!”

Ban pretended to frown. “Well, maybe. Just for a bit.”

Umeko clapped her hands. “Great! But you’re going to have to get up, because I’m not carrying you there.”

“Neither are we, by the way,” Jasmine said for herself and Sen (who appeared to be napping, somehow, while standing up). Swan gave Ban A Look as she began to help Boss gown the stairs.

“Well, what about—”

“Nonsense.”

“Fine,” Ban huffed, waving a hand at Umeko. “It hasn’t been that long since I visited. You remember what I like, so just order that. My partner and I will catch up to you guys.” Umeko shrugged, and then guided her followers off to snacks and friendship.

She smiled at Hoji, briefly. Hoji managed a smile back.

After Hoji was positive that all of them, even Boss, was out of earshot, he said, “You can’t get up either, can you.”

“I can! I just need a moment to catch my breath.” It’d been roughly ten minutes since their “fight,” but Ban was still sweaty, and breathing hard. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“True.” There was no point in pretending otherwise. “But we still did it.” They’d saved Boss—they’d proven his innocence. It’d been so long, and so much had changed, that knowing that it was finally over was… surreal.

But now that the adrenaline had worn off, and the danger was gone, Ban was going to have questions.

“Partner?”

Well, that was sooner than Hoji had predicted. He kept his gaze on the sky. “Yes?”

“You do realize that I would have come back sooner if I could have, right?”

That was easy enough to answer. “Yes.”

“It was just because of work and all those dead end leads, I just—” Ban made a frustrated sound. “I wanted to make sure I had something that would give you real hope.”

“I know.” Ban was making that sound again, so Hoji glanced in his direction. It took some effort, and some muttered complaints about sore muscles, but Ban was sitting up now, legs tucked under his chin. Despite their conversation, Hoji was struck by how young he looked when he did that—as if the past ten years hadn’t happened at all.

Ban beamed at him. “Good.”

“I know you, Ban. You’d fight to the end for any one of us.” Hoji closed his eyes, allowing himself to pretend for just a moment that they were still—

“Well if you knew that, why did you stop returning my calls?”

So much for the moment. Hoji opened his eyes. “Explaining would…take a while.”

Ban scuttled over, so that he was looming over Hoji. “Yeah, well, I just decided I’m gonna stay on Earth for a snack break, so you have time.”

Hoji took several deeps breaths, and Ban thankfully remained silent.

Might as well get to the heart of the matter. “I knew Boss was innocent. I just knew it.”

Ban smiled down at him. “I did, too.”

“But I also just knew that Vino was innocent, as well.”

“Oh.” Ban wasn’t smiling anymore.

But he wasn’t calling Hoji a traitor or anything similar, so Hoji continued. “It didn’t stop me from trying to solve the case—to the point of well, you saw what I looked like when you came back. But there were times that I’d wake up after twenty hours of looking over evidence that said Boss was guilty, see my laptop, and I just…” Hoji had just enough strength to cover his eyes with his arm. “It took everything I had to get out of bed.”

“Partner.” Ban’s hand was warm against Hoji’s arm. “You don’t have to tell me anymore, if you don’t want to.”

“I do.” He just needed to breathe some more, that was all. “I couldn’t tell the others. Or you. So, of course, I started to avoid all of you.”

“No, you didn’t. You were trying to find—”

“I did, because seeing all of you being able to believe in Boss while I couldn’t was too much. They tried to help—and so did you, but after awhile they thankfully gave up on me.” Except for the occasional message from Ban, that he always deleted.

He tried to breathe again, but his chest was starting to hurt again. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to repair the damage I caused.”

Ban was quiet for once in his life.

But then he was rubbing Hoji’s arm. “You had doubts, but you worked through them. I understand that, and so do the others.”

“Too bad I don’t.”

“Then let me explain it again, slowly this time.” Now Ban was poking him. “You’ve been through a lot, partner. Then you had a situation that brought up bad memories. No one would blame you for feeling bad—I know I don’t.”

“Ban…”

“But next time, please promise me that you’ll talk to someone, okay?” Ban was smiling as he helped Hoji sit up, but there was something in his gaze that made Hoji’s gut twist. “That’s the whole point of having a team.”

It wasn’t a magic solution, but Ban still believed in him. That would do, for now. “All right. Um.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you among those people I can talk to?” Hoji hated how small his voice sounded.

“What?! Of course I am!” Ban screamed. “I just—I guess I just assumed that since you—”

“That since I stopped speaking to you, I was no longer interested in what we had.”

Ban cleared his throat. “Well, that and we never really clarified what we had precisely.”

“Oh.” Hoji had to grin. “Now you’re worried about details?”

“Yes, when it comes to this!”

Now Hoji laughed, a little. He reached out, and when Ban didn’t pull away, he stroked Ban’s cheek. “I’m sorry. My feelings for you never changed.”

Ban’s eyes were huge. “Partner…”

“I know it might be too late, but I was wondering if you—”

“Yes,” Ban said instantly. “I want us to be together again, more than anything.”

“Oh.” Well, that went better than expected. “Then… do you mind if I kiss you?”

Ban smiled, and closed his eyes. “I am okay with that.”

It wasn’t the most passionate kiss in the world. They were both too tired for that. But just Ban’s lips against his, warm and real and promising more… it was more than enough.

When Hoji pulled away, Ban cupped his chin. “Does this mean…”

Hoji rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ban. We’re officially boyfriends again—but put your license away, don’t tell the others until we’re actually there!” Ban sulked, but obeyed. Speaking of… “Let’s go see the others.”

Ban helped him up. “You think they’ll have some hard candies for you, old man?”

Hoji glared at him. “Candy is unhealthy.”

Ban chuckled. “Yep, you’re back to normal.”

Hoji squeezed Ban’s hand. “Not yet, but I’m getting there.”


End file.
